This invention generally relates to a vehicle pick-up bed and more particularly to a pick-up bed made of polymeric material that can be folded into shape.
The open section in the back of a pick-up truck is commonly referred to as a pick-up bed. Pick-up beds include a base section, three side walls, and a tailgate. The base section is also known as the floor of the bed. Two of the side walls are the same size, positioned parallel to each other, and extend along the sides of the vehicle adjacent the tires. The third side wall is positioned perpendicular to and between the first two side walls, adjacent the cab of the pick-up truck. Finally, the lift-gate is positioned perpendicular to and between the first two side walls at their opposite ends from the third side wall, at the rear of the vehicle. The lift-gate is essentially a door that opens to allow access into the pick-up bed. Typically, pick-up beds are used for storing and transporting large objects.
Currently, pick-up beds are formed from metal. However, there are several disadvantages of metal pick-up beds, including, but not limited to, susceptibility to denting and corrosion.
Since it is common to transport objects in a pick-up bed, there is a high probability that the bed will dent or scratch during loading and unloading. Further, if the bed is made from metal, a scratch will cause corrosion. Currently pick-up truck owners use bedliners to minimize denting and scratching of the pick-up bed. Typically, a bedliner is a plastic insert that fits into the pick-up bed to protect the base section and side walls. The disadvantage of a bedliner is that it is an additional expense for the pick-up truck owner. Therefore, there is a need for a pick-up bed that resists denting and scratching without the use of a bedliner.
Another disadvantage of metal pick-up beds is that they are costly to produce because they are manufacturing intensive. There are several different methods of manufacturing pick-up beds. One method is to form the bed from several metal pieces. Each metal piece is individually stamped and, typically, all the pieces are welded together. Also metal pick-up beds require painting to match the color of the vehicle.
Yet another disadvantage of a metal pick-up bed is its weight. For instance, as the weight of a vehicle increases, the gas mileage of the vehicle decreases. Therefore, it is desirable to decrease the weight of the vehicle to improve a variety of vehicle performance factors, including, gas mileage.
The pick-up bed of the present invention overcomes the above problems with known pick-up beds. In general terms, the pick-up bed of the present invention includes a generally flat sheet of colored material and a generally flat sheet of reinforced polymeric material molded to the sheet of colored material. Preferably, the reinforced polymeric material is injection molded onto the back of the colored material. The colored material is preferably a paintless polymeric film or alternatively pre-painted aluminum. Preferably, the generally flat sheet of colored material is placed in the bottom of a mold and a mixture of reinforced polymeric material is injected into the mold onto the back of the sheet of colored material. During the molding process the two materials are adhered together, forming a molded, generally flat pick-up bed component. Once the molding is complete, the pick-up bed component is folded into shape.
This application is related to co-pending application Ser. No. 09/592,701 filed on Jun. 13, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cOne Piece Molded Pick-Up Bed With Fendersxe2x80x9d, and filed on even date with this application.
The molded pick-up bed component includes a generally rectangular center section and three generally rectangular side wall sections. Each side wall section is attached to the center section along a hinge edge. The hinge edges are bendable because fewer or no reinforcing fibers are located along the hinge edges.
The pick-up bed of the present invention is less expensive and simpler to manufacture than metal pick-up beds. One reason is because fewer components need to be manufactured. Further, those components that are manufactured are cheaper to produce. Also, the completely assembled pick-up bed does not need to be painted because the sheet of colored material, either paintless film or pre-painted aluminum is adhered to the sheet of reinforced polymeric material prior to folding the pick-up bed into shape. Using paintless film or pre-painted aluminum to add color to the pick-up bed is less expensive than painting the bed after assembly to match the color of the vehicle.
Further, the pick-up bed of the present invention significantly reduces the weight of the vehicle since the materials that comprise the component are lightweight polymers or aluminum. There is no need to use a bedliner with the pick-up bed of the present invention because the polymeric material and aluminum, if used, resists denting and corrosion.
These and other features of the invention may be best understood from the following specification and drawings. The following is a brief description of the drawings.